MMBN: War of the Heart
by The Great Saiyaman1
Summary: Well, the WWW returns, forcing Lan and Chaud to team up. It's the final chapter!
1. Not Quite Midnight Meeting

War of the Heart

This means I, the author, am speaking. Heh, been a while since I uploaded anything of fanfiction.net. I've hit writers block on the Sonic fic, so I'm shifting gears for a bit with this Battle Network fic. Enjoy!

The story thus far: The heroes of our saga, Lan and his Navi, Megaman.EXE, had recently foiled the plans of the evil group known only as Gospel. The school year is about to start tomorrow, but something remains unanswered for Lan…

It's late night in ACDC Town as Lan and Megaman head for home. Lan, however, is preoccupied with something. Megaman just had to ask.

"There's something on your mind, isn't there?" he asked.

"No, not at all," replied Lan. "Why do you ask?"

"The fact that you passed your own house about a block back?"

Lan turned and looked. In his absent-mindedness, he had left his house far behind. He gave kind of a silly grin once he realized his mistake.

"Oh, heh. Sorry, wasn't thinking about that."

"C'mon, what's on your mind?" asked Megaman.

"All right, it's…Chaud."

"Chaud? You're actually concerned about that guy? What for?"

"It's what he said at the campground. About he was my rival in many ways…I wonder what he meant by that."

"I can answer that," came the reply.

Lan looked to his right into the park and saw Chaud. He was just standing there, staring into space. He wasn't doing a thing, even as Lan approached him

"Chaud, what are you doing here?" asked Lan.

"Came to think," replied Chaud, turning to face Lan. "Think about some things…or someone."

"What do you mean?"

"You want the truth? Fine, I'll give you the truth. It involves Mayl."

"Aaaaahhhhh…you're attracted to her! I knew it!"

"Oh, like you're not?"

"Well…um…er…" stammered Lan.

"Just tell 'em, Lan," said Megaman.

"I knew that you were interested in her too," replied Chaud. "It was pretty obvious."

"All right, I am," admitted Lan. "So, I take we're rivals for her heart, now, are we?"

"I suppose you could say that," answered Chaud. "Well, I'll see you around then."

Chaud walked off into the night, leaving Megaman and Lan in the park.

"So, what now?" asked Megaman.

"Head home, I suppose," answered Lan. "Heh, this could make things very interesting, fighting for a girl. How do you go about that?"

Megaman just sighed as he and Lan headed home. He could tell this was going to be a very frustrating experience.

Unbeknownst to the three of them, something was brewing at the remnants of the old WWW headquarters. It had been destroyed during Megaman's adventure against the evil organization, so no one suspected the events that would take place there. For on that night, the three remaining members of the WW were gathering there.

"I don't BELIEVE IT!" exclaimed Ms. Madd as she gathered with the others. "We sent out for all the remaining members and this is IT?"

"We can blame this on Higsby and Mr. Match," calmly replied Yahoot. "They quit, so we're left a few short."

"Still can't believe it took us all this time to regroup and this is all we get," commented Count Zap. "It will be hard to rebuild. Still, what has happened to Lord Wily? Did he escape?"

"That is no matter," replied Yahoot. "Our new objective is clear: We must find the boy and his Navi that are responsible for this and get rid of them to avenge our glorious WWW! That is our purpose for gathering here and the only reason we reassembled."

"Yeah, yeah, but there IS still the little question of HOW we get back at this kid for what he did," interrupted Count Zap.

"Say…I think I've got an idea…" said Ms. Madd, a cruel smile crossing her face. "I remember someone who might help us take care of that kid…"

Yes, a devious scheme is in the works! Don't worry, the story will get another chapter soon. It should be funnier, I hope.


	2. Evil Plan in Motion

War of the Heart

Chapter 2: Evil Plan in Action

"Woo-hoo! All right!"

"Lan, you're the person I know who puts so much energy into being so lazy," commented Megaman.

"Hey, don't tell me you aren't glad that school's been delayed due to server crash," replied Lan. "It means we have time to finish all that homework we forgot to do over break."

"True. Fine, let's get started."

Mayl sat in her room, confused about what to do after the camping trip. It had become obvious to her that Chaud is interested in her. However, she was already attracted to Lan, so this was an unusual change for her.

"What am I going to do, Roll?" she asked her Navi. "I know that I like Lan better, but I'm also interested in why Chaud has taken a liking to me."

"Well, all I can say is that this is something that you have to work out for yourself," replied Roll. "I'm not really an expert on the matter of love, myself."

"Oh, well. Thanks, anyway," said Mayl, smiling.

It was at that moment when the burglar alarm went off! Mayl grabbed her PET and rushed downstairs, only to find that there was no one there.

"Huh? There's no one here?" she said. "The burglar alarm must have a virus again."

"I'll go check it out," said Roll.

Roll entered the small electronic world of the burglar alarm. There were no immediate viruses in the vicinity, so she started to look around. However, something didn't feel right.

_I guess this is what humans call being nervous_, Roll thought. _I've busted a thousand viruses before, but what is it that doesn't feel right?_

It wasn't long before Roll found the source of the troubles. Three Mettaur viruses were hacking away at the sensor array of the alarm system with their little pickaxes. Just three little Mettaurs. Certainly not enough to do the amount of damage that Roll saw, but she still had to do her job and delete them.

Roll stood ready, waiting for Mayl to send her a Cannon or a Shotgun or anything to fight with, but nothing came. That was very strange to happen in a battle. Why wasn't anything coming?

"Hey, Mayl!" called out Roll. "Why haven't you sent any chip data?"

No reply. Roll called out again.

"Mayl, can you hear me? I need some Battle Chips!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't do that," came the male reply.

"What? Who's there?"

"You'll see, little Navi. Attack, Magicman!"

Without warning, the three Mettaurs disappeared. From them came a Navi dressed like a magician. He stared at Roll with an icy gaze.

"Greetings, I am Magicman," he said. "Prepare to fight me!"

"N-n-not fair! I don't have any Battle Chips!" exclaimed Roll.

"That's your problem," answered Magicman, who fired a magic blast from his hands.

Roll barely managed to get out of the way, but wasn't ready for the Swordy who had popped up out of nowhere and slashed her. A Cloudy virus then appeared and soaked her with its water attack while she was down. As Roll struggled to get up, Magicman fired another blast of his magic attack.

Roll fell down again, paralyzed from the previous attack. She had barely any HP left and there was no way for her to win without any chip data. Stuck, she could only watch as Magicman closed in…


	3. Great Googly Moogly Indeed

War of the Heart

Part 3: Great googley-moogley, indeed…

The kidnapping had been a complete success. With Mayl in their possession and her Navi out of commission, the three WWW members had returned to their hideout, the ruins of the old fort to figure out what do to next.

"Fine, so we have the kid," said Count Zap. "What do we do now?"

"She's our bargaining chip," explained Yahoot. "As long as we have her, we can convince that Lan kid to do whatever we want."

"Yeah, yeah. But, shouldn't we be doing something else here? That kid deserves to be crushed for what he did to us!" exclaimed Ms. Madd.

"Maybe so," considered Yahoot. "What exactly is it that you are proposing, Madd? That we kill them both?"

"Something like that." answered Ms. Madd. "What I'm thinking of is that we find a way to ruin this Lan kid's spirit. Make him wish he'd never crossed our path. You see what I mean?"

"Yes, but the question still remains: how do we do that?" asked Count Zap.

"Hang on, I believe that I may have an answer to that," interrupted Yahoot. "There were some projects we were working on back before the destruction of the base. They were very experimental, but there should be one down there that could still be useful, if it's still working."

"Really?" said Ms. Madd. "What kind of experiments?"

"I don't remember what specifically, but if it's still there…" said Yahoot. "Come, get the kid and let's get to the emergency cellar where we kept it!"

"Sounds like a plan!" agreed Count Zap, who went off to get Mayl.

"You've got my interest," said Ms. Madd. "Let's go see what this mystery project is!"

 "All right," said Lan, reviewing his remaining assignments, "that just leaves math."

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Since Lan's mom wasn't home at the moment, Lan got up and saw who it was. It was Chaud, and he was holding flowers and candy.

"Well, well," said Lan, smirking. "For me? People will talk."

"Good grief," Protoman mumbled.

"They're not for you, jerk," grumbled Chaud. "They're for Mayl."

"I see, but that doesn't explain why you're here," replied Lan.

"That's because when I went to give these to her, I found this," explained Chaud, holding out a note.

"Let me see that," said Lan, taking the note. "Hmm…"

Lan,

We have your girlfriend, so if you want her back, come to the ruins of the old WWW fort to get her back. We'll be waiting for you.

-The WWW.

"Great googley-moogley! They have Mayl?" exclaimed Lan.

"Great googley-moogley?" asked Chaud, looking very confused.

"Er…well…my parents found out how much foul language I used during my last little adventure and threatened to clean out my mouth with soap unless I swore less," explained Lan, turning red.

"Lan would rather sacrifice his language than his taste buds," explained Megaman.

"Your taste in language aside, this letter was obviously intended for you. What I want to know is: what are you going to do now?" asked Chaud.

"Isn't it obvious? I've got to go there and get her back!" exclaimed Lan.

"By yourself?" asked Chaud. "You can't do that. Mayl would never forgive me if I let you get killed in a blaze of glory. Admit it: you'll need my help."

"It wouldn't hurt, Lan," said Megaman.

"Oh...well, it **would** be easier with some help," admitted Lan. "Besides, maybe we could go see who the better Netbattler is after all."

"All right then," agreed Chaud. "Let's go!"


	4. Into the Fort They Go

War of the Heart

Part Four: Into the fort they go…

Remembering where the WWW HQ was located from their last adventure there, it wasn't long before Lan and Chaud had reached it. The place was a mere shell of its former self. The only thing that appeared to be there were piles of wreckage and rubble.

"So, this is what happened to the place," Lan said. "We're lucky that the subway leading here wasn't destroyed."

"What a mess," commented Chaud. "I wonder where those creeps could be hiding anyways."

"Lord Chaud, I'm picking up some unusual electrical energy readings from deep within the wreckage," said Protoman. "It would seem that there appears to be an bunker of some sort deep underground."

"Of course! The perfect place to hide out!" exclaimed Megaman.

"And it's obviously the place where they're holding Mayl captive! Let's go!" chimed Lan.

Some time later, Lan and Chaud were scavenging through the rubble to find the entrance to the underground bunker. Protoman had confirmed the location of the electrical readings, but so far, there appeared to be no sign of any entrance.

"Man, where could that entrance be?" groaned Lan. "We've been searching for half an hour now!"

"There's no need to complain," said Chaud. "It's not like we can just look over this pile of rubble here and-…"

He peaked up over the pile of rubble. The area in front of him was significantly more cleared off than the rest. Lying on the ground appeared to be a door of some kind.

"…find it."

"You found it?" asked Lan, heading for Chaud's position. "Hey, you found it! Great!"

The two headed over to the door. Once they reached, Lan grabbed the handle and yanked as hard as he could. Unfortunately, it was locked.

"Darn it!" exclaimed Lan.

"Hmm…there appears to be a jack-in panel here," observed Chaud. "We should be able to unlock the door from here."

"Okay then. Ready, Megaman?" asked Lan.

"Ready!" exclaimed Megaman.

"Jack-in! Megaman, execute!"

Megaman and Protoman quickly surveyed the environment that they had entered. It appeared to be just a simple computer block, only consisting of one room. The only notable feature in it was a large console.

"Hello," it said. "I am Key Program 34287. Enter five-digit identification code to unlock door."

"Don't worry. I have some code-cracking experience. This one should be no problem," Protoman said as he stepped up to the console. "Now, let me handle this. The password is 7-8-2-4-3."

"Incorrect password. Please try again," chirped the console.

"All you did was just its program number backwards," noted Lan.

"Let me try again," said Megaman. "The code must be 3-6-8-4-5."

"Incorrect. Please be aware that a third failure will result in calling security," warned the console.

"You just guessed at random!" exclaimed Protoman.

"Fine, so code-cracking wasn't what I was programmed for, okay?" said Megaman.

"This isn't working. We need some other way of figuring out this code," said Lan. "Any ideas, Chaud?"

"Well, we could try the combination that an idiot puts on his luggage," suggested Chaud. "Besides, there doesn't seem to be any clue as to the combination of this, anyway. Give it a try, Protoman."

"Very well," said Protoman. "The combination is 1-2-3-4-5."

"Beep. Access granted," said the console.

"I don't believe it," groaned Lan. "You used the world's simplest combination and it **worked**?!"

"Just be happy it did. Let's go, already," said Chaud.

At the start of it, the underground bunker appeared to be nothing special. It only appeared to be a long hallway, formed completely of metal. Lan and Chaud walked down the hallway toward the nearest door.

"This is weird," commented Lan. "You'd think there'd at least be a security camera or motion sensor or something, but there doesn't appear to be anything here."

"Most likely, they never intended to use this bunker and didn't bother to install anything for security purposes, save a door lock or two," suggested Chaud. "Still, they must have something important down here since there are some energy readings. Are you still picking them up, Protoman?"

"Yes, Lord Chaud. They seem to be coming from deeper still within this bunker," reported Protoman.

"Well, I guess we have no choice but to go in deeper…" said Lan.

"I still can't believe that old thing was spared," commented Ms. Madd.

The three WWW members had gathered in the main facility of their underground bunker. Fortunately for them, the destruction of their past had left the area intact, due to its super-strong protection. Also, the project that Yahoot had hoped for was also down there.

"We're just lucky it's in working order," said Count Zap. "How much longer should it take to finish?"

"I'm guessing another half-hour at the most," guessed Yahoot. "This has had some good successes in the past on human subjects. How's that Navi reprogramming coming?"

"Harder than we expected, but we should have it done by the time she's finished," replied Ms. Madd.

Just then, one of the lights on a nearby console began blinking. Count Zap took a quick look at it.

"The silent alarm has been tripped!" he exclaimed. "Lan and some other kid are on their way!"

"Other kid? Looks like we'll have to deal with him too." said Yahoot. "Luckily, once this is finished, neither one of them will have it in them to hurt us…"


	5. Deeper Within

War of the Heart

Part Five: Deeper within…

Lan and Chaud continued to proceed deeper into the bunker. As they went on, there still appeared to be no traps or obstacles of any sort. However, it wasn't long before they came across another locked door with a jack-in port.

"You know what this means," said Chaud.

"Yup!" agreed Lan. "Jack-in! Megaman, execute!"

The new area where Megaman and Protoman had jacked into appeared to be no different than the other area. It even appeared to be the same lock program as before.

"Hello, I am Key Program 56960. Please enter password," it said.

"How do you propose we handle this one?" asked Lan. "I don't think 1-2-3-4-5 will help us this time."

"I'm not sure," replied Chaud. "Usually, these programs have some sort of clue to indicate what their password is. Let's try something at random first."

"Well, here goes nothing," said Megaman. "Is the password 8-2-4-7-9?"

"Incorrect form of password. Calling security," replied the program.

Just as the program finished saying that, five Mettuars dropped from the air and began throwing Shockwave attacks. Megaman quickly jumped away from them and began firing Buster Gun shots, deleting three of them. Protoman rushed with this sword and sliced the other two down.

"That didn't work," commented Chaud. "We need another way."

"Didn't that seem rather weak? I was expecting something harder," said Lan.

"Maybe there was a clue in there," suggested Chaud. "Let's see…there were five of them and they were Mettuars. Perhaps the password is something related to it."

"I'll give it a try," said Protoman, stepping up to the console. "The password is Mettuar."

"Incorrect. Calling security," said the program.

"How about Shockwave? MetGuard? Hardhat?" suggested Lan.

"All incorrect. Security is now on its way," said the program.

As it spoke, several more Mettuars dropped down, along with several Mettuar 2s and Mettuar 3s. No sooner than when they landed, they began launching a massive barrage of Shockwaves, Sonic Waves and Dynawaves. Megaman and Protoman had to move rapidly to avoid them.

"Aw, heck with it!" exclaimed Lan, sending chip data. "Megaman, take this M-Cannon and just blow the thing up!"

"I hear you, Lan!" called Megaman. "I've got it!"

Megaman quickly armed the M-Cannon and fired directly at the program. It was a direct hit, but the program didn't take any damage. It wasn't even phased by the attack.

"What? No damage? How's that possible?" wondered Chaud.

"Wait…the Mettuars!" exclaimed Megaman, still dodging wave attacks. "That's it!"

"What do you mean?" asked Protoman, swiping at the Mets.

"You guys were right. Those Mettuars ARE a clue! Perhaps this only can be damaged by their wave attacks!" Megaman explained.

"Sounds as good as anything," admitted Chaud.

Megaman and Protoman quickly positioned themselves near the console. The Mettuars, not being intelligent viruses by nature, continued to launch their attacks. Both Megaman and Protoman leaped out of the way as fast as they could, leaving the wave attacks to slam into the console. Several attacks later, the console exploded.

"Nice job, guys!" complimented Lan.

"That's strange," noticed Chaud. "The door still hasn't unlocked."

"Of course it hasn't," replied a voice. "As intruders, you must deal with me!"

"Who is that?" wondered Protoman.

"I'll show you," replied the voice.

In a dazzle of smoke, a mysterious Navi appeared from where the console stood. He appeared to have been made after the ancient Egyptians, right down to looking like an ancient figure. He hovered in the air, two plain coffins hovering by his side.

"That's Pharoman!" exclaimed Megaman.

"Pharo-who?" asked Protoman.

"Pharoman. I encountered him while I was exploring what appeared to be WWW-controlled areas of the Undernet. He's one of the WWW's lackeys," explained Megaman.

"I am more than a mere lackey. I am the guardian of where I am assigned. You are trespassers, therefore you must be deleted!" announced Pharoman.

"Hey, don't start without me!" called another voice.

With that, a rain of bombs came from the sky! Megaman and Protoman were knocked aside by the explosions, but when the smoke cleared, a large purple Navi was standing where the bombs had fallen. He appeared to be quite well armed.

"Sigh…Napalmman, must you make so damage just to make an entrance?" asked Pharoman.

"Can't help it, man. It's my nature to blow up stuff!" exclaimed Napalmman. "Ha-ha, KABOOM!"

"Oh, great. Not another freak," groaned Protoman.


	6. Dual Battle!

War of the Heart

Part Six: Dual Battle

Napalmman wasted no time in launching an attack, firing a barrage of bombs toward the two heroes. Both of them were able to get out of the way, but Napalmman continued in a relentless assault against them, firing even more bombs and summoning two guns out from the ground, which also proceeded to fire at them. Both Megaman and Protoman could barely stay ahead of the attack.

Pharoman also began to attack, using his two coffins to fire off deadly lasers. Megaman caught one directly in the chest and flew halfway across the battlefield. Protoman managed to dodge a fair bit and ran up to Pharoman, slicing him with his sword.

Protoman tried to slice again, but Pharoman blocked his attack with his coffins acting as a shield. While still in the defensive position, both coffins fired a dual laser burst, slamming him just as far as Megaman.

Megaman, however, had pulled himself back up and was firing several Buster Gun shots at Napalmman. Napalmman retaliated with some of his bombs, but Megaman dashed through them and headed straight for him.

Lan wasted no time. He quickly sent through a Fireblade, Aquablade and Elecblade to Megaman, forming the Lifesword 3 attack. Megaman ran forward and struck Napalmman with the sword attack.

Napalmman reeled back in pain, but summoned his guns to retaliate, striking Megaman with their rapid fire shots. Megaman was forced back, but struck back with his Shadowman V3 chip. All the while, Napalmman continued to fire his bombs.

Pharoman and Protoman were still dueling. Pharoman was using his wind attack from one coffin to hold off Protoman while he launched Rattons from the other coffin. Protoman fought back by using his sword to launch energy swipes to both damage Pharoman and destroy the Rattons.

Megaman fired at Napalmman with the Dynawave, but Napalmman leaped to the side. Megaman used that time to launch another attack using his Stepsword, slicing Napalaman with it, then running back to where he was instantly. Napalmman fired with his bombs, but Megaman was just able to evade them.

"AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!" screamed Napalmman. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH! YOU'RE ALL GOING DOWN!"

Napalmman went into a frenzy, launching bombs in every way possible! The bombs struck everywhere, including Pharoman, who got struck on the back of the neck with one. Protoman and Megaman were also struck by this vicious attack, getting blown away. Even Napalmman was clobbered by his own move, getting struck by a bomb that he launched straight upwards that landed on his own head, which stopped his inane attack.

"Geez, destroy the whole planet while you're at it, why don't you?" griped Pharoman, who wasn't happy about the beating on the back of the head.

The attack had left the area in ruins. Every panel was either cracked or destroyed, leaving the entire place like a large gapping hole. Only a few panels remained, and they were the ones the four Navis were standing on and Pharoman's coffins.

"I've got an idea!" exclaimed Lan. "Quick, take this chip, Chaud!"

"What is it?" asked Chaud.

"Just try it," said Lan. "It'll be a big help!"

"Okay, here goes," said Chaud.

Protoman received the chip, which contained Airshoes. Protoman looked down at his feet with a somewhat upset reaction.

"What do these do?" he asked.

"They let you walk on air," explained Lan. "Try it out!"

Protoman got an almost evil smile on his face as he looked Pharoman. Pharoman's coffins were stuck off to the side, separated by the holes that had been created. Without them, Pharoman was practically helpless.

Using this to his advantage, Protoman made a dash at Pharoman, running fearlessly over the empty spaces. Pharoman gulped in fear and could only watch as Protoman ran toward him. Protoman ran up, leaped into the air and came down with a piercing blow on Pharoman's head, practically cutting him in two.

"It's not possible…" he murmured as he was deleted.

Napalmman continued his reckless assault of bombs, but since there were very few panels left, he had no place to summon his guns from. Protoman tried to dash across the empty panels at him, but the Airshoes ran out of power along the way. Protoman began to fall, but managed to catch one of the undamaged panels with his non-sword hand. Unfortunately, it happened to be the panel where Napalmman was standing. If Napalmman had a face, there would've been a big, evil grin on it.

"Too easy," he murmured to himself and aimed right at Protoman's face.

"Not yet," replied Protoman.

Protoman stabbed upward with his sword, catching Napalmman right in the gut. Napalmman stumbled backwards for a bit and took more blows from Megaman, who was racing across the gap with his own set of Airshoes and shooting. Napalmman tried to recover in time, but was too late. Megaman had gotten up to him and delivered a right hook with Cold Punch.

Napalmman was forced back and found himself barely balancing on the edge of the panel. He stumbled for a bit, trying to regain balance, but failed and fell down the pit to his inevitable end.

"Yeah, we did it!" exclaimed Megaman.

"That was a good fight," commented Protoman.

"It was," agreed Chaud. "Hey, Lan. Thanks for your help with that chip."

"No problem," replied Lan. "You'd do the same for me. Now, what do you say we go and get those WWW creeps?"

The final room was before them. Lan and Chaud nodded to each other, then dashed into the room. There, the remaining WWW members were waiting for them.

"It's about time you got here," commented Ms. Madd. "We were getting bored."

"Cut the chatter. Where's Mayl?" demanded Lan.

"She's right over there," explained Count Zap, pointing to a nearby room. "If you want to unlock that door, you'll have to beat us in a Netbattle!"

"Fine, we accept your challenge!" exclaimed Chaud.

Soon, Megaman and Protoman had jacked into the server where the battle was supposed to take place. There was really nothing special about it. It was just a large open plain.

Before long, the other three had jacked in as well. Ms. Madd's Navi, Colorman, appeared at the northern end of the arena. Beside him was Elecman, Count Zap's Navi, and Magicman, Yahoot's Navi.

Protoman got himself into a battle stance, while Megaman prepared by performing a Style Change, transforming himself into the AquaGuts style. The enemy Navis flexed for a bit, then readied themselves for a fight. However, just as the fight was about to begin, another Navi appeared.

It was Roll.

"Roll!" exclaimed Megaman. "You're here! You're alright! This is great!"

Roll said nothing.

"Hey, you okay, Roll?" asked Megaman, moving closer to her. "You seem different than usual."

Roll responded by hitting Megaman with a hard kick right to his gut. Megaman doubled over in pain, only to get an uppercut to his jaw and fall over back to Protoman. Protoman was completely surprised.

"What happened to her?" he asked. "She's completely different!"

"Where did Roll come from?" Lan wondered.

"She came from me," came a voice.

Back in the real world, both Lan and Chaud turned their heads in the direction of the voice. It came from the room where Mayl was supposed to have been held captive. The door to that room swung open, revealing Mayl standing in front of a strange looking chair device.

"Mayl?" asked Lan.

"It's me," confirmed Mayl. "Except…I've decided to play with these people now."

"You!" exclaimed Lan, turning to the WWW members. "You've done…something to her!"

"That's right," answered Yahoot. "It's an experimental mind control program. You like?"

"How could you do that?" asked Lan.

"I suspect it wouldn't be that hard to believe," answered Chaud. "The human brain is not entirely unlike a computer. I would guess that while he was still around, Wily found some way to 'reprogram' people's minds."

"That's right, kid," said Yahoot. "It's a little overly simplistic, but it's correct."

"But…how am I supposed to fight them if they're just being controlled?" Lan wondered.

"We're outnumbered!" exclaimed Protoman. "We need a plan!"

"Plan?" asked Megaman. "Just what do intend to do?"

"Jack out!" exclaimed Lan. "We need to think up a strategy!"

"Fine!" agreed Megaman. "Jack-out!"

Nothing happened.

"What's going on? Why isn't it working?" wondered Protoman.

"It's simple. We installed a device that prevents you from jacking-out," explained Elecman. "You're stuck here with us and you can only get out if you can beat us!"

"We don't have any choice," said Megaman. "We have to fight them now!"


	7. Final Battle!

War of the Heart

Part Seven: Final Battle

Roll wasted no time in launching an attack, using the ring over her head as a weapon and lashing at Protoman. Protoman pulled out his shield and was able to block the attack. However, he was at a difficult position, knowing he couldn't hurt Roll since she was reprogrammed and not under her own control.

Megaman had turned his attention to the Navis of the WWW. Colorman went first, using his minions to attack with fire and water. Megaman's extra strength from the AquaGuts style allowed him to easily take the blows and fire back with Bubble Shots.

Elecman, however, was quick to take advantage of the situation and launched an electrical attack at Megaman, striking him with a lightning bolt. Since Megaman was aqua, he suffered major damage from the attack and reeled in pain. He pulled himself together and fired with the Dynawave, striking Elecman.

Magicman, in contrast, preferred to keep himself out of the fun, instead launching magic fire attacks from a distance. Since he was immobile, Protoman took the opportunity to slip away from Roll and slice up Magicman a fair bit with his trusty sword. Magicman took a blow or two, but quickly teleported to the other arena end to escape.

Roll turned her attention to Megaman, who was throwing some Quake chips of various strengths at Clownman. She snuck behind him, then smacked him on the back of the neck with her ring. Megaman collapsed in pain, but managed to roll away when Clownman launched another attack using a water column.

Elecman tried to attack again with his electric attacks on Megaman, but Protoman managed to catch him off guard with a sword swipe. Elecman then turned his attention to Protoman, firing several blast of electricity at him. Protoman was able to block one with his shield, but was struck by the other one.

As Megaman tried to dodge Roll's attack, he fired an M-Cannon at Clownman, who was struck by it, but managed to launch his bubble midsection. Roll saw and knocked it right at Megaman, who took it in the chest and was knocked over to Magicman. Magicman then fired one of his magic attacks, but Megaman was able to duck under it and fire a Bubble Shot right at him.

Magicman then summoned a Swordy 3 virus and an orange Canndumb virus, both of which began to attack. The Swordy began slicing at Megaman, who was struck by a few blows. The Canndumb shot Cannonballs all across the arena, striking the ground mostly, but one managed to smack Protoman.

Megaman quickly used a Recover150 chip, but Roll went after him in a moment, striking at him again. Megaman was knocked back and landed near Clownman, who he struck with a GoldFist. Clownman pushed Megaman back, right into Elecman, who struck him with another electric attack.

Protoman, meanwhile, was having difficulties with Magicman, who was using his summoned minions as a shield while he fired his magic shots. Protoman managed to block a few, but took heavy damage.

"Lan," called Megaman. "It's too much. I don't think we can make it!"

"Right, but what can we do?" asked Lan.

"Lord Chaud, we must retreat!" called Protoman.

"It's no use!" responded Ms. Madd. "We told you that you can't get out unless you defeat us!"

"Megaman, I don't think we have a choice. I know you're in bad shape, but we can still win if we activate the program!" called Lan, sending more Recovery chips.

"You really think so?" asked Megaman, dodging and using the chips.

"It's our best shot," said Lan.

"All right…" admitted Megaman, seeing the Navis close in, "I'll use it."

"Activating Hubstyle!"

Megaman stood still for a moment, then his body began to transform. A blinding light filled the area. Once it had died down, Megaman had changed.

His body shone with a bright blue light. He looked like he did in NormalStyle, but he was obviously far more powerful and confident. He stood with a cunning smile on his face.

"What…what kind of power is that?" asked Count Zap. "It's incredible!"

_How could…how could he have that much power_? thought Chaud.

"Wanna play again?" Megman asked, charging his Buster Gun.

Once his gun reached full power, he lifted it and fired at Magicman. The blow struck home and Magicman was sent flying to the other end of the arena. The other Navis, especially Protoman, were stunned senseless by the attack.

"We…we can't l-l-let that stop us!" said Elecman, trying to be brave. "Let's g-g-g-get him!" He and Clownman began charging an attack.

"Come on, now!" dared Megaman, receiving some more Battle Chips.

He pulled the Firesword, Aquasword and Elecsword together and formed the Lifesword 2. Dashing at Clownman and Elecman, he swung with all his strength and sliced them both. Clowman and Elecman crashed over in a heap.

Roll was determined not to be left out of the action and charged at Megaman. She tried using her ring to attack, but Megaman merely activated a shield and blocked the attack. He also leaped out of the way of another of her attacks and dashed over to Protoman.

"Hey, Protoman, what do you say we team up and beat these guys for good?" offered Megaman.  
"I'm with ya!" agreed Protoman.

Both of them began to charge up their weapons. The enemy Navis had begun to recover from the attacks that had just been dealt. As they did, both Megaman and Protoman had fully charged their attacks.

"Ready…" started Megaman.

"Aim…" continued Protoman.

"FIRE!" they shouted simultaneously.

Megaman and Protoman attacked together, using the Double Hero attack on all three enemy Navis. The three of them were caught up in a flurry of Buster shots and energy swipes! The damage was unbearable, and at the end of the attack, all three collapsed in pain.

"No…sorry, masters…" they said.

With that, all three collapsed on the ground. They faded away, their programs having been deleted. They were gone for good.

"No WAY!" exclaimed Yahoot. "This can't be! Retreat!"

Before anyone could react, the WWW cronies had already made their way out the door.

"Yes, we did it!" exclaimed Lan. "We did it, guys! We'll never see those three again!"

"Um, guys?" interrupted Protoman, pointing to Roll.

"Oh-no!" exclaimed Megaman. "We forgot to do something about Roll!"

"We'll just have to reprogram her! Jack out for now!" commanded Chaud.

Both of them jacked out of the server.

"All right, but this still leaves the question of what to do with Mayl," observed Lan. "She's still under the control of the WWW."

"No, she's not. Look!" exclaimed Chaud.

For some reason, Mayl had collapsed on the floor. Both Lan and Chaud rushed over to her. Lan picked her up while Chaud examined the machine.

"What do you suppose happened to her?" asked Lan.

"There seems to be a control panel here," observed Chaud. "According to these settings, I'm guessing that the effects of the mind control were only meant to be temporary. It must've been set to wear off after the fight."

"Hang on, she's waking up," said Lan.

Mayl moaned softly, then opened her eyes. The first thing she was Lan looking at her. She smiled.

"Lan…" she said.

"Mayl! You're alright!" exclaimed Lan. "That's great!"

"C'mon, let's get out of here," said Chaud.

In a few moments, all three of them were outside. Mayl had been weakened by the mind control, so Lan had carried her outside. Chaud had remembered to jack Roll out of the computer before they left.

"You gonna be okay?" asked Lan.

"Yeah, I should be fine," replied Mayl. "I think I can walk now."

Lan set her down. Mayl stood up, but wobbled a bit and flopped right into Lan. He gently pushed her off and she managed to stay upright.

"Yeah, there we go," said Chaud.

"Listen, I want to thank you both for your help," said Mayl.

"It was nothing, really," started Chaud. "You don't have to-…"

His statement was cut short by Mayl giving him a kiss on the check. Chaud turned a bright red instantly.

Mayl then turned to Lan. She smiled big and then gave him a kiss right on the lips. Lan turned a even deeper shade of red than Chaud. Mayl giggled a little while Chaud looked somewhat upset.

"Shall we go?" asked Mayl. She headed for the subway.

"I swear, I will get you next time," threatened Chaud, who wasn't happy about Lan getting a better kiss.

"At least I'll go smiling!" retorted Lan, who had a big, goofy grin on his face.

The three of them had returned to ACDC Town to recover. They all met at Lan's house to relax and recap the little fiasco they were in. Mayl listened with a lot of intent as they told their story.

"You guys did all that for me?" she asked. "I'm touched."

"It wasn't as bad as it sounds," said Lan.

At that moment, Lan's dad walked in the door.

"Hi, guys," he said. "How's it going?"

"Could be better," answered Chaud.

"We were just talking about something," said Lan. He turned back to Mayl. "Yeah, you would believe what they used as passwords. One combination was 1-2-3-4-5, even."

"Really?" asked Lan's dad. "Amazing. That's the same combination on my luggage! I think I'll go change it."

Lan's dad left for his bedroom.

"Didn't you say that was the combination an idiot puts on his luggage?" asked Lan.

"How was I supposed to know it was also your dad's luggage code?" responded Chaud.

Mayl just laughed.


End file.
